The Forbidden Kingdom Review

Jet Li and Jackie Chan are legends of the martial arts genre, and fans have been clamoring for a film to feature them both for years. Its amazing its taken this long, but The Forbidden Kingdom finally sees these two famous action stars meet. And while Chan and Li are undoubtedly the biggest draw to the Forbidden Kingdom, there's a lot more going on in this film then just them.

The plot of the Forbidden Kingdom starts off with South Boston teenager Jason who has an almost seemingly unhealthy obsession with martial arts films. During one of his visits to the pawnshop in Chinatown to buy Wuxia DVD's, he comes across an ancient staff (go figure) that happens to open a portal into ancient China (of course), shortly after awakening he discovers he fits the description of a prophecy foretelling of a "seeker" that would return the staff to its rightful owner (obviously). In order to complete this task he convinces Lu Yan (Chan), expert of the Drunken Master style, to train him in the art of Kung Fu. Shortly after his training begins, they encounter a Silent Monk (Li) who upon realizing Jason is the prophesied "seeker" decides to help with his training.

"Okay guys, heroic pose, and, DRAMATIC STARE!"

 The entire plot in The Forbidden Kingdom is fairly unoriginal and forgettable. Its told at a rather choppy pace and each scene just seems like an excuse to get to the next fight scene, which are the highlights of the film, but we'll get to that later. My biggest problem with the story in the Forbidden Kingdom is the underdeveloped characters. Every attempt at character development feels forced, and their back stories are rather cliched. This is especially true when it comes to the fourth main hero in the story, a young orphan girl that goes by Golden Sparrow and refers to herself in the third person. She, of course, is also the love interest of Jason, and their whole relationship feels forced and awkward. Think Anakin and Padme in Attack of The Clones, only with less talking, more awkward silence and almost as much uncomfortable staring. Another character that plays heavily into the plot is the legendary Monkey King. While I have never read Journey to The West, the Monkey King's arrogance seems to be portrayed much sillier and just plain goofier than it should. In the end, I never really cared about any of the characters or their fates. Jackie Chan however does a great job at being the likable comedic relief.

What the Forbidden Kingdom lacks in storytelling and character development, it mostly makes up for in the film's fantastic fight scenes. Chan and Li's scene is particularly memorable, and arguably the best part of the movie, and it should be really, as this is the scene that most people wanted to see anyway. By far the longest and most complex fight scene in the movie, its obvious fanservice, but what glorious fanservice it is. The rest of the action is well done, and the choreography is very impressive, especially considering that some of the actors are newcomers to the genre.

Jet Li shows off his break dancing skills.

 The storyline may be generic and cliche ridden, the characters are underdeveloped and uninteresting, and some purists will likely dislike how much of the film has been Westernized in specific areas, but The Forbidden Kingdom is a worthwhile watch for fans of martial arts films, especially for those that are also fans of Chan and Li, as well as anyone interested in a good mindless action flick.

3/5